1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a computerized method for use in the construction of an ITE (in the ear) hearing aid, and in particular to such a computerized method that causes the internal components within an ITE hearing aid to be positioned at appropriate locations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An ITE hearing aid is a customized device that must conform to the individual anatomy of the hearing impaired person who will wear the ITE hearing aid. An ITE hearing aid generally is formed by a shell (also called an otoplastic) that is produced from a mold that has been made of the auditory canal of the person who will wear the ITE hearing aid. The interior of the shell is hollow, but has a shape that is dictated by the customized exterior shape of the shell. The shell generally tapers toward a narrow-most end, which will be fitted into the interior of the auditory canal, and at which the sound exit opening is located.
The opposite side of the shell, before insertion of the internal components, is open, and will face toward the exterior of the ear, when the ITE hearing aid is inserted into the auditory canal.
The electrical components of the ITE hearing aid are mounted on a face plate that closes the opening of the shell, with the components that are mounted on the face plate being enclosed within the interior of the shell.
Because the interior shape of the shell is not the same for each ITE hearing aid, in the conventional assembly of such an ITE hearing aid, considerable craftsmanship is necessary on the part of the person who assembles the hearing aid, in order to mount the components on the face plate so that they will not only mechanically fit into the particularly shaped interior of the shell, but also so that unwanted electrical, electromagnetic, and acoustical interactions among the components will be avoided or minimized. A significant part of appropriately mounting (adapting) the alignment of the earpiece in the shell is to achieve an appropriate alignment such that no feedback is perceptible. For this purpose, a procedure tales place generally by trial-and-error until the structure-born sound coupled from the earpiece via the shell to the microphone causes no feedback whistling. Other hearing device components are integrated on the faceplate and thus are already physically (mechanically) adapted.
All physical restrictions, such as eddy current losses of the battery and of the hybrid circuit, disruptive radiation by conductors, and the like must be taken into consideration in the fixed positioning on the faceplate. Moreover, in the Acuris hearing aid that is commercially available from Siemens AG, an antenna is provided and the interaction of that antenna with other components of the hearing aid must also be taken into account.
As the desire for more components in modern hearing aid increases, the space requirement on the face plate also increases, as well as the minimum necessary area for the faceplate itself.
Moreover, depending on the individual anatomy of the auditory canal, the available space in the auditory canal often is not optimally utilized.
A computer-assisted e-detailing (electronic detailing) process for assembling an ITE hearing aid is known from PCT Application WO 02/071794. In this known procedure, the detailed design of the hearing device ensues virtually in a computer-assisted e-detailing process after an electronic scanning of the auditory canal. The shell then can be constructed using an SLA machine. Space can be gained by virtue of the components being individually placed in this procedure.